Locker Room Kiss Scars
by Alleybat
Summary: Babs finds herself following Dick into the Men's Locker room, where something unexpected awaits.


She knew she wasn't allowed in the men's locker room. Not that there was any rule against it of course, it's a moral thing. Girls aren't supposed to waltz into the male designated areas, just like guys are barred from the females. That's just how it works. But, she was concerned and she knew he had just walked in after a long workout. She also knew they were totally alone.

Everyone else was taking a siesta after a long and stressful mission. The pressure was rising amongst everyone in the team, especially its older members. M'gann was still downtrodden from Artemis' death and Conner refused to really open up to anyone, as usual. Everyone's morale in general was down, especially since their recent mission left them with more questions than answers.

But, the one she was most concerned about was the one she had followed into the men's locker room, her oldest and best friend Dick Grayson, known only to everyone else as Nightwing. He was the leader of the team, took it over after Kaldur, Aqualad, betrayed them and joined with Black Manta. Unfortunately, being the leader of this kind of group includes a huge amount of responsibility that he shouldered alone.

Babs turned into the main locker area and saw him sitting on one of the benches in his underwear with his head in his hands.

"Dick?"

He shot up, like she had interrupted some very important thoughts, or maybe she woke him up, she wasn't really sure which.

"B-babs?" He stammered, "What're you doing in here? I was about to get in the shower…"

"I know. I'm sorry. I just really wanted to talk to you alone." She said. He had taken off his mask and she could see the dark bags that surrounded his usually piercing steel blue eyes. She'd known him nearly ten years and she'd never seen him so tired.

"We could talk at home; you didn't need to corner me in my underwear." He said with a small smile. His attempt at humor, when he was so obviously exhausted, broke her heart.

"I know I didn't. I just wanted to make sure you were okay." She said. "The mission today, kinda got out of hand… And I know as leader, that it was especially hard for you…"

"I'm fine Babs, no need to worry about me. I've been doing this for years remember, I'm used to it."

His voice didn't convince her even a little bit. It cracked in all the wrong places. Before she knew what she was doing, she sat down next to him on the bench.

"Babs?"

"it's just…" She started "Bruce has been off planet for a couple of months now, and I know to keep order in Gotham that you've been wearing the cowl. Then there's the invasion going on that requires your utmost attention, especially with this Godfrey guy making a stink about the whole thing…"

He wrinkled his face at the sound of Godfrey's name, a common response when mentioning him to Earth's heroes. The guy just made their lives miserable with his constant harping of the league.

"Then there's school, and Tim, and not to mention the recent death of…." She cut off there, she and Artemis had been pretty close, but she knew Dick really cared for her like family. Dick had a habit of treating his closest friends like they were his family, maybe it was lingering from the trauma he suffered at losing his entire family, but she wasn't about to open old wounds… Speaking of wounds.

"Dick, what happened to you?"

His chest, arms, stomach, back, everything were covered in scars. Some were obviously bullet wounds, others knife, some were just general fighting type wounds, but the kind that stick around. She'd never really been so close to him while he was shirtless.

"Oh these," he said, gesturing toward some of the worst ones on his sides and chest. "Just some war wounds, I guess you could call them, at least I do."

She reached out and touched his chest, running her fingers over one of the larger gashes.

"That one is courtesy of Killer Croc slashed me right across the chest." He said, "If it wasn't for my reflexes I might not be here right now."

She felt herself tearing up as he explained each one. He was proud of his wounds, but by his reckoning most of them were near death situations.

"Hey, hey Babs." He said noticing her tears. "It's alright, these are old, no way they're gonna open up again or anything."

"It's not about that," she said wiping her eyes. "It's just that, every one of these scars, is another time you could have died…. Another time, I could have lost you forever…"

It happened suddenly. He put his hand on the back of her neck and drew her in close. Close enough for her to feel his breath on her face. Time froze in that instant broken only by his voice.

"Babs…." he whispered before closing the distance between them. A furious wave rushed over her, starting from her stomach and ending in her toes and the top of her head. For one single moment, every pain they were feeling was forgotten, lost in a single kiss.


End file.
